Cleveland Orchestra launches Celebrity series at Severance Hall on November 7

Program saluting John Williams features music from many of his best-known films

CLEVELAND, October 8, 2009 ��� The Cleveland Orchestra presents the first program in its new three-concert Celebrity series at Severance Hall on Saturday, November 7, at 8:00 p.m. The new Celebrity series explores the avenues of orchestral music that stretch beyond the borders of the classical world ��� movie scores, jazz riffs, Broadway, and beyond. The opening program, titled A Salute to John Williams, will be led by MGM conductor and movie expert Richard Kaufman and will feature music from Williams���s film scores for E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer���s Stone, Jaws, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Star Wars, Superman, and more. During the November 7 concert, Mr. Kaufman, who made his Cleveland Orchestra debut this past May leading its sold-out ���Music from the Movies��� concert, will share insights and behind-the-scenes stories with the audience. A complete program listing follows at the end of this release.

Additional Celebrity series programs this season:

March 30, 2010: Pink Martini, a ���little orchestra��� from Portland, Oregon, is steeped in jazz, Japanese pop, Italian film scores, and French cabaret. They have performed their multicultural repertoire on concert stages and with symphony orchestras throughout Europe, Asia, Greece, Turkey, Lebanon, Canada, and the United States ��� including multiple concerts with the Boston Pops and the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, the grand opening of Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, and the opening party of New York���s Museum of Modern Art. The group will bring their eclectic sounds to this performance with The Cleveland Orchestra for a vibrant evening of fun.

April 25, 2010: Chris Botti ��� Jazz trumpeter Chris Botti joins The Cleveland Orchestra for an evening that combines jazz standards and classical hits. Botti has recorded familiar songs including ���When I Fall in Love��� and ���To Love Again��� and has worked with many musicians, including Joshua Bell, Michael Bubl��, Andrea Bocelli, Josh Groban, Yo-Yo Ma, Frank Sinatra, and Sting. He also has performed with many leading symphony orchestras and at prestigious events including the World Series and the Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony. Botti���s 2008 performances with the Boston Pops, titled Chris Botti in Boston, have been featured on the PBS network, with which he has an ongoing association, and are available on CD, DVD, and Blu-ray.

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The Cleveland Orchestra���s 2009-10 season at Severance Hall is sponsored by UBS. Headquartered in Zurich and Basel, Switzerland, UBS is a global firm providing services to private, corporate and institutional clients. Its strategy is to focus on international wealth management and the Swiss banking business alongside its global expertise in investment banking and asset management. In Switzerland, UBS is the market leader in retail and commercial banking.

UBS is a significant supporter of orchestral music globally. In addition to its season sponsorship of The Cleveland Orchestra, the firm currently sponsors several other outstanding symphony orchestras, such as the Boston Symphony Orchestra and The Philadelphia Orchestra. These partnerships reflect UBS���s dedication to supporting the communities where it operates, as well as a philosophy of working collaboratively with its clients to deliver the customized solutions that help them pursue their goals.

���UBS is proud of our ongoing relationship as Season Sponsor of The Cleveland Orchestra,��� said Marten Hoekstra, CEO, UBS Wealth Management Americas. ���Supporting the arts is ingrained in our corporate culture and we view our partnership with this internationally renowned orchestra as a reflection of our ongoing commitment to communities where we live and work.���

SUBSCRIPTIONS to the Celebrity series are still available at three concerts for the price of two. Subscriptions begin at $66. Call the Cleveland Orchestra Subscription Office at (216) 231-1111 or 800-686-1141, or order online at clevelandorchestra.com.

SINGLE TICKET PRICES: Box: $84; Orchestra: $66, $51; Dress Circle: $66, $45, $33; Balcony: $45, $33.

TICKET SERVICES:
The Severance Hall Ticket Office is located in the Smith Lobby. The entrance and 15-minute Ticket Service parking are along East Boulevard. Single tickets for all concerts in the 2009-10 season are now on sale.

Severance Hall Ticket Office Hours:
M-F 9-6
Sat. 10-6
Closed Sundays and major holidays, except for those days with performances, when the Ticket Office opens three hours prior to the performance start time.

To charge tickets by telephone on American Express, Discover Card, MasterCard, and Visa, call Cleveland Orchestra Ticket Services at (216) 231-1111 (Cleveland) or 800-686-1141 during the regular ticket office hours listed above. Subscriptions and single tickets are also available through The Cleveland Orchestra���s website at clevelandorchestra.com. The website offers secure ticket transactions with any major credit card and provides complete concert listings.

PARKING:
For evening subscription concerts at Severance Hall, parking can be purchased for $10 per vehicle, when space permits, in the Campus Center Garage (the underground garage located directly behind Severance Hall). Pre-paid parking for the Campus Center Garage can be purchased in advance through the Ticket Office at the cost of $14 per concert (this includes City of Cleveland parking tax and handling fee). The pre-paid parking ensures patrons a parking space, but availability of these pre-paid parking passes is limited.

For further information, or to order pre-paid parking, patrons should call the Cleveland Orchestra Ticket Office during regular office hours at (216) 231-1111 or 800-686-1141. Pre-paid parking passes are also available through The Cleveland Orchestra���s website at clevelandorchestra.com.

Saturday, November 7, at 8:00 p.m.
Severance Hall
Celebrity Series Concert
THE CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA
RICHARD KAUFMAN, conductor
A Salute to John Williams

WILLIAMS
March from Superman
Music from Jurassic Park
���Sayuri���s Theme��� from Memoirs of a Geisha
���Harry���s Wondrous World��� from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer���s Stone
Suite from Far and Away
Main Theme from Star Wars
���The Raiders March��� from Raiders of the Lost Ark
���The Face of Pan��� from Hook
���Flight to Neverland��� from Hook
Main Theme from Jaws
Suite from Close Encounters of the Third Kind
���Adventures on Earth��� from E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

Ticket Prices: $33-$84 ��� Call (216) 231-1111 or 800-686-1141, or order online at clevelandorchestra.com

Season Sponsor: UBS

The Cleveland Orchestra���s annual holiday concerts take place at Severance Hall from December 10-21

Mercedes-Benz of Bedford is new Holiday Festival sponsor
Cleveland Orchestra Store offers unique gift ideas

CLEVELAND, October 8, 2009 ��� The Cleveland Orchestra���s 2009 Holiday Festival sponsored by Mercedes-Benz of Bedford takes place from December 11-21. The 10-day festival consists of eight Christmas Concerts with The Cleveland Orchestra and Choruses; two performances of Eileen Ivers ��� An Irish Christmas (a concert by Eileen Ivers & Immigrant Soul with The Cleveland Orchestra, telling the story of a real Irish Christmas through music and dance); and two performances of Burning River Brass, featuring the 12-member Burning River Brass ensemble and organist Todd Wilson.

Additional holiday concerts are two performances of Handel���s Messiah, on Thursday, December 10, and Saturday, December 12; and three different PNC Holiday Musical Rainbow programs for children up to age 10 ��� ���Music of Chanukah,��� ���All About Kwanzaa,��� and ���Christmas Brass Quintet,��� featuring members of the Orchestra and guests.

Families can arrive early for the 3:00 p.m. Christmas Concerts on December 12, 13, 19, and 20 and enjoy Lunch with Santa in Severance Restaurant from 12:00 p.m. until 3 p.m. Call (216) 231-7373 or email reservations@clevelandorchestra.com for reservations.

The Cleveland Orchestra���s holiday concerts season gets underway with the placement of a lighted wreath on the front of Severance Hall on Monday, November 30, at 11:00 a.m.

An updated calendar for all holiday concerts at Severance Hall follows. Single tickets for all holiday concerts are now on sale. Tickets for groups of 10 or more are also available. Information on purchasing tickets is provided below.

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HOLIDAY GIFT IDEAS

The Cleveland Orchestra Store offers many unique gift items for the holidays, including the latest Cleveland Orchestra CD and DVD recordings along with an extensive discography from years past, music boxes and decorative glass from Italy and Israel, music-themed holiday ornaments, stationery, books, stuffed toys and musical gifts for children of all ages, fashion scarves, jewelry, and Cleveland Orchestra logo apparel. The Store is open Tuesday through Friday during regular Store hours from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and before, during, and after concerts. The Store phone number is (216) 231-7478 and may be visited online at clevelandorchestra.com.

In addition, Cleveland Orchestra gift certificates and Blossom Lawn Ticket Books for The Cleveland Orchestra���s 2010 Summer Season at Blossom Music Center are available at the Severance Hall Ticket Office by calling (216) 231-1111 or (800) 686-1141, or at clevelandorchestra.com.

For 42 years, the Schreibman family of Pepper Pike has sold engraved Silver Bells to benefit The Cleveland Orchestra���s education programs. The Silver Bells, engraved with ���Christmas 2009��� and priced at $20 each, have become a favorite holiday tradition and are available for purchase at the Cleveland Orchestra Store and several gift shops in greater Cleveland. Contact the Store at (216) 231-7478 for details or shop online at clevelandorchestra.com.

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TICKET SERVICES:

The Severance Hall Ticket Office is located in the Smith Lobby. The entrance and 15-minute Ticket Service parking are along East Boulevard. Single tickets for all concerts in the 2009-10 season are now on sale.

Severance Hall Ticket Office Hours:
M-F 9-6
Sat. 10-6
Closed Sundays and major holidays, except for those days with performances, when the Ticket Office opens three hours prior to the performance start time.

To charge tickets by telephone on American Express, Discover Card, MasterCard, and Visa, call Cleveland Orchestra Ticket Services at (216) 231-1111 (Cleveland) or 800-686-1141 during the regular ticket office hours listed above. Subscriptions and single tickets are also available through The Cleveland Orchestra���s website at clevelandorchestra.com. The website offers secure ticket transactions with any major credit card and provides complete concert listings.
Tickets for groups of 10 or more are also available for The Cleveland Orchestra���s holiday concerts. To order group tickets, visit clevelandorchestra.com; call (216) 231-7463; or email groupsales@clevelandorchestra.com.
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CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA CHRISTMAS CONCERTS

Traditional holiday programs of seasonal music, sing-along selections, and Christmas classics
with choruses and The Cleveland Orchestra.

Friday, December 11, 2009 at 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, December 12, 2009 at 3:00 p.m.
Sunday, December 13, 2009 at 3:00 p.m.
Friday, December 18, 2009 at 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, December 19, 2009 at 3:00 & 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, December 20, 2009 at 3:00 & 7:00 p.m.

Severance Hall

THE CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA
ROBERT PORCO, conductor
CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA CHORUS (all concerts)
Robert Porco, director
CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA CHILDREN���S CHORUS (Dec. 13, 19, and 20 at 3:00 p.m.)
Ann Usher, director
MEMBERS OF THE CLEVELAND STATE UNIVERSITY CHORALE (Dec. 11 and 12)
Brian Bailey, director

The program will include favorites such as O Come, All Ye Faithful, the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel���s Messiah, Joy to the World, Sleigh Bells, and White Christmas, among many others.

TICKETS: $33-$63; Box seats $80
Call (216) 231-1111 or 800-686-1141, or order online at clevelandorchestra.com
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EILEEN IVERS ��� AN IRISH CHRISTMAS

Wednesday, December 16, 2009 at 8:00 p.m.
Thursday, December 17, 2009 at 8:00 p.m.

Severance Hall

Eileen Ivers & Immigrant Soul
The Cleveland Orchestra
James Feddeck, conductor

The program features Irish fiddle player Eileen Ivers & Immigrant Soul along with local Irish dancers performing with The Cleveland Orchestra in traditional Irish songs and airs from the 12th century to the present, telling the story of a real Irish Christmas through music and dance.

TICKETS: $33-$63; Box seats $80
Call (216) 231-1111 or 800-686-1141, or order online at clevelandorchestra.com
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BURNING RIVER BRASS

Monday, December 21, 2009 at 8:00 p.m.

Severance Hall

Burning River Brass
Todd Wilson, organ

A holiday favorite, the twelve-piece Burning River Brass ensemble entertains
with its signature style.

TICKETS: $26-$48; Box seats $60
Call (216) 231-1111 or 800-686-1141, or order online at clevelandorchestra.com


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ADDITIONAL CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA HOLIDAY CONCERTS:

HANDEL���S ���MESSIAH���

Thursday, December 10, 2009 at 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, December 12, 2009 at 8:00 p.m.

Severance Hall

THE CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA
ROBERT PORCO, conductor
MARY WILSON, soprano
ANTHONY ROTH COSTANZO, countertenor
ALEK SCHRADER, tenor
JOHN RELYEA, bass-baritone
CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA CHAMBER CHORUS
Robert Porco, director

HANDEL Messiah

Concert Sponsor: National City, Now a part of PNC

TICKETS: $31-$92; Box seats $117
Call (216) 231-1111 or 800-686-1141, or order online at clevelandorchestra.com
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PNC HOLIDAY MUSICAL RAINBOWS
(for children up to age 9)
Friday, December 11, 2009 at 10:00 a.m.
Sunday, December 13, 2009 at 12:30 p.m.
Reinberger Chamber Hall at Severance Hall

Music of Chanukah
Carolyn Warner, violin and piano
Stephen Warner, violin
Kathryn Wolfe Sebo, cantor
Maryann Nagel, host
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Thursday, December 17, 2009 at 10:00 a.m.
Reinberger Chamber Hall at Severance Hall
Saturday, December 19, 2009 at 11:00 a.m.
Main Concert Hall at Severance Hall

Christmas Brass Quintet
Jack Sutte, trumpet
Michael Miller, trumpet
Hans Clebsch, horn
Edward Zadrozny, trombone
Ronald Bishop, tuba
Maryann Nagel, host
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Friday, December 18, 2009 at 10:00 a.m.
Reinberger Chamber Hall at Severance Hall

All About Kwanzaa
Barbara Eady, storyteller, from the Cleveland Association of Black Storytellers
William Clarence Marshall III, bass
Mell Csicsila, percussion
Andrew Pongracz, percussion
Maryann Nagel, host

TICKETS: $7 General Admission
Call (216) 231-1111 or 800-686-1141, or order online at clevelandorchestra.com

The PNC Musical Rainbow Series is endowed by the Pysht Fund.
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All artists and programs are subject to change.

The Cleveland Orchestra presents ���The Trusty Trombone��� Musical Rainbow concerts on October 30 and 31 in Severance Hall���s Reinberger Chamber Hall

CLEVELAND, September 30, 2009 ��� Retired Cleveland Orchestra trombonist Allen Kofsky will introduce children ages 3-6 to ���The Trusty Trombone��� in the October 30 and 31 PNC Musical Rainbow concerts, held in Severance Hall���s Reinberger Chamber Hall. Local actress and singer Maryann Nagel hosts the 30-minute, age-appropriate programs, which include narration, demonstration, short solo selections, and audience participation.

The Cleveland Orchestra���s Musical Rainbow concerts have a new sponsor this season. As part of PNC���s Grow Up Great initiative in Cleveland, they are sponsoring the Musical Rainbows Series for preschoolers as well as a wide range of other activities and programs designed to give very young children ���A Great Early Start in the Arts.��� PNC Musical Rainbow programs introduce very young children to the instruments of the orchestra, one at a time.

Friday, October 30, 2009 at 10:00 a.m.
Saturday, October 31, 2009 at 10:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m.

Reinberger Chamber Hall at Severance Hall

PNC Musical Rainbow: ���The Trusty Trombone��� (ages 3-6)

ALLEN KOFSKY, trombone
MARYANN NAGEL, host
LAURA SILVERMAN, piano

The PNC Musical Rainbow Series is endowed by the Pysht Fund.

TICKETS: $7 for adults and children; general admission
To order tickets by phone, call (216) 231-1111. Tickets are also available online at clevelandorchestra.com.

PARKING ��� For PNC Musical Rainbow concerts at Severance Hall, Standard Parking provides parking in the underground garage adjacent to Severance Hall at a special Rainbow Concert rate of $4.50 per vehicle. Clearly marked school buses and vans may park for free on the west side of East Boulevard. Metered parking is also available on some side streets near Severance Hall.

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The Cleveland Orchestra���s PNC Musical Rainbow Series is part of a broad array of educational programs designed to foster a love of music and a lifetime of participation in the musical arts. Other programs include Cleveland Orchestra Family Concerts for ages 7 and up, Cleveland Orchestra Education Concerts (which bring more than 25,000 school children to Severance Hall each year), the Learning Through Music school partnership program, Concert Previews and Music Study Groups for adults, and several programs to nurture aspiring young musicians (Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra, Youth Chorus, and Children���s Chorus). For more information, call the Orchestra���s Educational and Community Programs Department at (216) 231-7355.

Women's Committee of The Cleveland Orchestra to hold open rehearsal and luncheon

CLEVELAND, October 2, 2009 ��� The Women���s Committee of The Cleveland Orchestra invites members of the community to attend a ���Meet the Artist��� Luncheon program titled ���Touring With The Cleveland Orchestra��� on Friday, October 16, 2009, at Severance Hall. Guests will enjoy an Open Rehearsal of The Cleveland Orchestra, luncheon, and a conversation with an Orchestra musician and members of the Orchestra���s staff.

Can you imagine traveling with a tuba? How would you pack your piano? Beginning with an Open Rehearsal, guests will be privileged to be part of the only audience to hear previews of music that the Orchestra will play on their fall tour. (They leave the next day!) Following a delicious luncheon, conversations will be held in Reinberger Chamber Hall among musicians and staff, presenting a unique ���travelogue��� as well as insights and personal stories of previous tours with The Cleveland Orchestra, just prior to their departure for Toronto, Paris, and Vienna.
The event begins with registration at 9:15 a.m. in the Smith Lobby. Guests will attend the Open Rehearsal from 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Main Concert Hall. A luncheon follows at 12:30 p.m., and a special program begins at 1:30 p.m. in Reinberger Chamber Hall, featuring principal percussionist Richard Weiner, along with other musicians and MAA staff in conversation with Gary Ginstling, general manager of The Cleveland Orchestra. Mr. Weiner was appointed to The Cleveland Orchestra in 1963, and has participated in every foreign tour that the Orchestra has undertaken except the first, including tours to Australia, China, Europe, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, Scandanavia, and the Soviet Union, as well as Central and South America.
The luncheon is part of the Women���s Committee of The Cleveland Orchestra���s ���Meet the Artist��� luncheon and program series, which continues on December 4 and March 19.

���Meet the Artist��� Luncheon: ���Touring With The Cleveland Orchestra���
Presented by the Women���s Committee of The Cleveland Orchestra

Friday, October 16, 2009
Severance Hall, 11001 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106

9:15 a.m. Registration begins (Smith Lobby)

10:00 a.m. Open Rehearsal (Main Concert Hall)
The Cleveland Orchestra
Franz Welser-M��st, conductor

12:30 p.m. Luncheon (Smith Lobby)

1:30 p.m. Program (Reinberger Chamber Hall)
The program features Richard Weiner, principal percussionist, along with other musicians and MAA staff in conversation with Gary Ginstling, general manager of The Cleveland Orchestra.

Tickets: $65.00
Reservation deadline: October 9, 2009
For more information, or to order tickets, please call Lori Cohen at (216) 231-7557.

The Cleveland Orchestra presents fully staged performances of Cos�� fan tutte at Severance Hall

Music Director Franz Welser-M��st to conduct Mozart's comic opera on March 2, 4, 6, and 8, 2010

CLEVELAND, October 7, 2009 ��� The Cleveland Orchestra brings Mozart's comic opera Cos�� fan tutte to Severance Hall for four performances of a fully staged production from the Zurich Opera. Music Director Franz Welser-M��st conducts the production, which he previously led in Zurich in collaboration with stage director Sven-Eric Bechtolf, set designer Rolf Glittenberg, and costume designer Marianne Glittenberg. An international cast of soloists appears with the Orchestra for the production, which will be performed in Italian with projected English supertitles. Members of the Cleveland Orchestra Opera Chorus, prepared by Robert Porco, will appear as soldiers, servants, and sailors in Mozart's "dramma buffa" (comic drama).

Singers Malin Hartelius, soprano (Fiordiligi); Anna Bonitatibus, soprano (Dorabella); Martina Jankov��, soprano (Despina); Javier Camarena, tenor (Ferrando); Ruben Drole, baritone (Guglielmo); and Oliver Widmer, bass (Don Alfonso) all appeared in the Zurich production. The entire principal cast of singers is reunited for these four performances at Severance Hall. More details on the production will appear in later releases.

When Franz Welser-M��st led the Zurich production, Marinella Polli wrote in Corriere del Ticino:
"It was a great musical evening above all because of the magic baton of Franz Welser-M��st, who offered a powerful reading of this tragicomedy in two acts, offering at the same time a powerful reading of Mozart's genius as well."

With Franz Welser-M��st, the Orchestra has re-established itself as an important operatic ensemble. Together, they gave five sold-out performances of Dvo��k's Rusalka at the Salzburg Festival in 2008. Last spring, Mr. Welser-M��st and The Cleveland Orchestra gave four sold-out staged performances of The Marriage of Figaro in Cleveland, marking the return of staged opera to Severance Hall for the first time in decades. Cos�� fan tutte continues a traversal of the remarkable three operas created by Mozart with librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte. In 2011, the Orchestra and Mr. Welser-M��st will complete the set with staged performances of Don Giovanni at Severance Hall.

The Lincoln Center Festival and The Cleveland Orchestra recently announced that beginning in 2011, the Orchestra and Franz Welser-M��st will appear every other year at the Lincoln Center Festival, performing concerts in the first year and subsequently ��� in 2013 and 2015 ��� performing as the pit orchestra at Lincoln Center's David H. Koch Theater for productions of the Vienna State Opera, where Franz Welser-M��st becomes general music director in 2010.

TICKET PRICES: $68-$222
The Severance Hall Ticket Office is located in the Smith Lobby. The entrance and 15-minute Ticket Service parking are along East Boulevard. Single tickets for all concerts in the 2009-10 season are now on sale. Severance Hall Ticket Office Hours:

M-F 9-6
Sat. 10-6

Closed Sundays and major holidays, except for those days with performances, when the Ticket Office opens three hours prior to the performance start time.

To charge tickets by telephone on American Express, Discover Card, MasterCard, and Visa, call Cleveland Orchestra Ticket Services at (216) 231-1111 (Cleveland) or 800-686-1141 during the regular ticket office hours listed above. Subscriptions and single tickets are also available through The Cleveland Orchestra's website at clevelandorchestra.com. The website offers secure ticket transactions with any major credit card and provides complete concert listings.

Sunday, February 28, 2010, at 3 p.m. at Severance Hall
Music Director Franz Welser-M��st will discuss Cos�� fan tutte with members of the cast. �ĮFree, but reservations are required.
Call (216) 231-1111 or 800-686-1141.

Tuesday, March 2, 2010, at 7 p.m.
Thursday, March 4, 2010, at 7 p.m.
Saturday, March 6, 2010, at 7 p.m.
Monday, March 8, 2010, at 7 p.m.

Severance Hall, 11001 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland

THE CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA
FRANZ WELSER-M��ST, conductor
MOZART Cos�� fan tutte ("Women are Like That")
Sung in Italian with projected English supertitles

Ticket Prices: $68-$222 ��� Call (216) 231-1111 or 800-686-1141, or order online at clevelandorchestra.com

Composer Laitman Presents Classes and Recitals in Cleveland and Colorado Springs October 2009

Acclaimed American composer Lori Laitman will be the guest composer at The Cleveland Institute of Music, Baldwin-Wallace Conservatory of Music and the Buckeye NATS Fall Meeting from October 8th to October 10th, 2009. She will also be the Distinguished Visiting Composer at Colorado College from October 27th to October 30th, 2009. Laitman will coach vocalists, present lectures and master classes and have her songs performed in recitals by faculty and students at Baldwin-Wallace and Colorado College on October 9th and October 30th respectively.

Lori Laitman is one of America's most prolific and widely performed composers of vocal music. She has composed nearly 200 songs, setting the words of classical and contemporary poets from Emily Dickinson to Richard Wilbur. "It is difficult to think of anyone before the public today who equals her exceptional gifts for embracing a poetic text and giving it new and deeper life through music." (The Journal of Singing)

Laitman's new opera, The Scarlet Letter, premiered in 2008 to rave reviews. "Composer Lori Laitman has written gorgeous music that works hand-in-glove with the words of librettist David Mason and underpins the very essence of this psychological-social drama...the few arias are at key moments and are stunningly effective." (The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette). The opera, commissioned by The University of Central Arkansas, is based on Nathaniel Hawthorne's literary masterpiece, as adapted by award-winning poet David Mason. Mason and Laitman are continuing as collaborators on a new opera, based on Mason's verse novel, Ludlow. Currently they are working on Vedem, a Holocaust oratorio which tells the story of the boys at Terez��n and their secret journal. Vedem was commissioned by Music of Remembrance and will premiere at Benaroya Hall in Seattle, WA on May 10, 2010.

Music of Remembrance also commissioned Laitman's song cycle The Seed of Dream, released on Naxos to critical acclaim. The cycle sets the poetry of Vilna Ghetto survivor Abraham Sutzkever. Dr. Sharon Mabry, in The Journal of Singing, pronounced the work "a masterpiece that should not be missed!"

Since launching her career in 1991, Laitman's music has been performed frequently in the US and abroad. Some recent U.S. venues include The Frye Art Music and Benaroya Hall in Seattle, WA; The Kennedy Center and The Phillips Collection in Washington, DC; Weill Recital Hall and Merkin Hall in New York, NY; The Granada in Santa Barbara, CA and The USC Fisher Art Gallery in Los Angeles, CA. Her discography also continues to grow, with releases on Albany Records, Naxos, Channel Classics and other labels, showcasing the talents of some of today's top musicians, among them Jennifer Check, Sari Gruber, Warren Jones, Maureen McKay, Robert McPherson, Lee Poulis, Barbara Quintiliani, Randall Scarlata and William Sharp. Laitman frequently travels to universities and festivals to present master classes on her music.

Within These Spaces, Laitman's latest solo CD released in May 2009, is receiving exceptional praise: "This is music of depth and richness that connects with the soul." (American Record Guide); "Her affinity for the voice�Ķis beyond doubt�Ķher songs represent outpourings of great beauty." (Fanfare Magazine). Gramophone Magazine called Laitman's Becoming a Redwood: "An extraordinarily impressive achievement�Ķ[which indicates] increasing evidence of a major talent. Lori Laitman's beautiful, sensitively crafted songs deserve to be performed widely." In a review of her 2000 release, Mystery, Opera News says: "Composer Lori Laitman knows how to let the voice soar and explore�Ķspinning lyrical neo-romantic vocal lines over shifting post-modern sonorities." A Journal of Singing review says of her 2003 album, Dreaming: "This is a stunning collection of widely varied songs by one of the finest art song composers on the scene today...Lori Laitman deservedly stands shoulder to shoulder with Ned Rorem for her uncommon sensitivity to text, her loving attention to the human voice and its capabilities, and her extraordinary palette of musical colors and gestures."

Laitman graduated magna cum laude from Yale College and received her Master of Music degree in flute performance from The Yale School of Music. Her recordings are available on her website, www.artsongs.com, as well as Amazon and ITunes. Laitman is represented by Jona Rapoport Artist Management.


Songs of Lori Laitman - Recital Information:

October 9, 2009 : 8 pm, Gamble Auditorium, Baldwin-Wallace Conservatory, 275 Eastland Road, Berea, Ohio 44017. Tel: 440-826-2222. For more information, please visit www.bw.edu

October 30, 2009: 7:30 pm, Packard Hall, Colorado College, 5 W. Cache La Poudre St, Colorado Springs, CO. This event is free and open to the public. For more information, please visit www.coloradocollege.edu

Cleveland Orchestra debuts Fridays@7 series at Severance Hall on October 9

CLEVELAND ��� Music Director Franz Welser-M��st will conduct The Cleveland Orchestra in its first Fridays@7 concert at Severance Hall on Friday, October 9, at 7:00 p.m. The program features Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Opus 67, preceded by his Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, Opus 58, with Mitsuko Uchida as soloist.

The new Fridays@7 series offers early-evening programs that are about 75 minutes long, performed straight through, followed by informal performances of music curated by Cleveland percussionist Jamey Haddad. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., with bars open to serve drinks and light food. Each concert begins at 7 p.m. and runs without intermission. After the concert, audience members can move to the Bogomolny-Kozerefski Grand Foyer just outside the Concert Hall and sample interesting cuisine, enjoy cocktails, and mingle with musicians while listening to world music.

On October 9, the featured group performing after the concert is Cyro Baptista's Beat the Donkey, an eight-person world-beat group that takes its name from the Brazilian expression "Pau Na Mula," meaning "Let's go, let's do it!"

Additional Fridays@7 programs this season:

November 20: Cello and Space with Alisa Weilerstein and guest conductor Jonathan Nott

January 8, 2010: Tragedy to Triumph, with guest conductor Jaap van Zweden leading Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 4

February 19, 2010: Musical Obsession, with Music Director Franz Welser-M��st conducting orchestral excerpts of music by Richard Wagner

April 30, 2010: Royal Drums & Trumpets, with baroque specialist Bernard Labadie guest-conducting Handel's Water Music

TICKET PRICES: Orchestra: $71, $47; Dress Circle: $93, $55; Balcony: $71, $55, $31.
TICKET SERVICES:
The Severance Hall Ticket Office is located in the Smith Lobby. The entrance and 15-minute Ticket Service parking are along East Boulevard. Single tickets for all concerts in the 2009-10 season are now on sale.
Severance Hall Ticket Office Hours:
M-F 9-6
Sat. 10-6
Closed Sundays and major holidays, except for those days with performances, when the Ticket Office opens three hours prior to the performance start time.
To charge tickets by telephone on American Express, Discover Card, MasterCard, and Visa, call Cleveland Orchestra Ticket Services at (216) 231-1111 (Cleveland) or 800-686-1141 during the regular ticket office hours listed above. Subscriptions and single tickets are also available through The Cleveland Orchestra's website at clevelandorchestra.com. The website offers secure ticket transactions with any major credit card and provides complete concert listings.

PARKING:
For evening subscription concerts at Severance Hall, parking can be purchased for $10 per vehicle, when space permits, in the Campus Center Garage (the underground garage located directly behind Severance Hall). Pre-paid parking for the Campus Center Garage can be purchased in advance through the Ticket Office at the cost of $14 per concert (this includes City of Cleveland parking tax and handling fee). The pre-paid parking ensures patrons a parking space, but availability of these pre-paid parking passes is limited.
For further information, or to order pre-paid parking, patrons should call the Cleveland Orchestra Ticket Office during regular office hours at (216) 231-1111 or 800-686-1141. Pre-paid parking passes are also available through The Cleveland Orchestra's website at clevelandorchestra.com.

Friday, October 9, at 7:00 p.m.
Severance Hall
Fridays@7 Concert

New Fridays@7 concerts are performed without intermission, last approximately 75 minutes, and are followed by food, drinks, mingling with musicians, and live performances of world music.

THE CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA
FRANZ WELSER-M��ST, conductor
MITSUKO UCHIDA, piano

BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 4
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 5

Ticket Prices: $31-$93 ��� Call (216) 231-1111 or 800-686-1141, or order online at clevelandorchestra.com